IMAGO/NurPhoto
France
Nearly 150 years after French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s masterwork, contemporary France is roiled by its own Season in Hell, a deeply fractured and unsettled political moment in which dark phantasms grow large and the path to a better world is anything but clear.
Introducing a new series of political analysis from the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office.
Photo credits: IMAGO/NurPhoto
Articles on this topic
IMAGO/Le Pictorium
Will French lycéens protesting austerity ignite a wider social movement ahead of the 2027 presidential campaign? It only took a spark to set France ablaze. High school protests broke out in France as the new school year had barely begun. France's high schoolers (lycéens, aged roughly 15 to 18) voiced their anger at what they see... Read More "France’s Students in Revolt"
IMAGO/ABACAPRESS
A fragmented local vote is reshaping France’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as traditional parties defend their municipal strongholds while the far right and radical left seek national momentum As the last vote before the presidential race, France’s municipal elections are... Read More "France’s Municipal Elections: A Warm-Up for 2027?"
IMAGO/NurPhoto
One million people marched across France on 18 September 2025 in response to a joint call from unions and the Bloquons Tout (Block Everything) movement. From the early morning, hundreds of grassroots initiatives joined picket lines following weeks of self-organized general assemblies. This second day of... Read More "From Political Impasse to Popular Alternative?"
IMAGO/ABACAPRESS
Why Le Pen’s games are a danger to democracy Like all right-wing extremist parties, the National Rally (Rassemblement National – RN) styles itself as an “anti-establishment” movement fighting against an allegedly corrupt and self-serving political elite. However, when it comes to their own financial interests,... Read More "From far-right firebrand to playing the victim"
IMAGO/ABACAPRESS
The verdict against Marine Le Pen sends shockwaves around Europe–and is a powerful message against corruption and the abuse of power. The prominent French nationalist Marine Le Pen was today found guilty by the Paris Criminal Court of embezzling public funds. Specifically, Le Pen was accused of misappropriating resources from the... Read More "Head Bowed, Hands Dirty"
The Left
Version française ci-dessous The forward march of extremist forces in Europe continued apace in the 2024 super election year, with far-right parties watching their election results surge in country after country. Their recent instalment into leadership positions within the European Commission — a historic first for the... Read More "Europe Needs an Action-Oriented Left"
IMAGO/Starface
On the evening of Sunday, 7 July 2024, the Place de la République in Paris was once again filled with a compact crowd, but this time it was joy and shouts of victory that dominated the gathering immediately after the election results were announced.